Fenghuang County

Fenghuang County
凤凰县
Fenghwang
County
Fenghuang Ancient Town
Fenghuang Ancient Town
Location of Fenghuang County within Xiangxi
Location of Fenghuang County within Xiangxi
Fenghuang is located in Hunan
Fenghuang
Fenghuang
Location in Hunan
Coordinates: 27°56′56″N 109°36′14″E / 27.949°N 109.604°E / 27.949; 109.604[1]
CountryPeople's Republic of China
ProvinceHunan
Autonomous prefectureXiangxi
Area
[2]
 • Total
1,751.10 km2 (676.10 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)[3]
 • Total
350,195
 • Density200/km2 (520/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (China Standard)
Postal code
4162XX

Fenghuang County (simplified Chinese: 凤凰县; traditional Chinese: 鳳凰縣; pinyin: Fènghuáng Xiàn), named after the mythological birds Fenghuang, is a county of Hunan Province, China, under the administration of Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture.

Located on the western margin of the province and the southern Xiangxi, it is immediately adjacent to the eastern edge of Guizhou Province. The county is bordered to the north by Huayuan County and Jishou City, to the east by Luxi County, to the southeast by Mayang County, to the southwest and the west by Bijiang District of Tongren City and Songtao County of Guizhou. Fenghuang County covers 1,745 km2 (674 sq mi), as of 2015, It had a registered population of 428,294 and a resident population of 363,700.[4] The county has 13 towns and four townships under its jurisdiction, the county seat is Tuojiang (沱江镇).[5]

History

View of Fenghuang Ancient Town from the Red Bridge
River crossing in Fenghuang Ancient Town

Fenghuang County has an exceptionally well-preserved ancient town that harbours unique ethnic languages, customs, arts as well as many distinctive architectural remains of Ming and Qing styles. The town is placed in a mountain setting, incorporating the natural flow of the river Tuojiang into the city layout.[6] Over half of the city's population belong to the Miao or Tujia minorities.[7] It was the centre of the unsuccessful Miao Rebellion of 1854-73, which created a Miao diaspora in Southeast Asia during the last two centuries. The city is revered in Miao traditions and funeral rites and is the location of the Southern China Great Wall (中国南方长城; 中國南方長城; Zhōngguó Nánfāng Chángchéng; Miao: "Suav Tuam Choj"),[8] a fortification built by the Ming dynasty to protect the local Han Chinese from Miao attacks.

After 1913, the name of the town changed from Zhen'gan (鎮筸) to Fenghuang.[9]

The gate to the government offices built in the 1920s. The writing on top of the gate reads "Fenghuang County"

The ancient town of Fenghuang was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on March 28, 2008, in the Cultural category. This ancient town was regarded as the most beautiful town in China by New Zealand writer Rewi Alley. It was built in 1704, and has 300 years of history. The ancient city is a gathering place for Miao and Tujia ethnic minorities.

The town was damaged by flooding in July 2014.[10]

Notable people

  • Shen Congwen – modern author and researcher of Chinese material arts. His childhood home is a popular tourist attraction in Fenghuang town
  • Huang Yongyu – painter

Transportation

The nearest airport Fenghuang Airport in Tongren City is only 34 km (21 mi) away from Fenghuang County and the nearest train station in Jishou City is only 50 km (31 mi) away. After arriving at Fenghuang Airport or Jishou Train Station, tourists may take a bus or taxi to Fenghuang County. Zhangjiajie Airport and Huaihua Train Station are also often used as transfer stops for Fenghuang County.[11][12]

The Fenghuang Maglev opened in 2022, connecting the Fenghuang railway station on Zhangjiajie–Jishou–Huaihua high-speed railway with the Fenghuang Folklore Garden.[13]

Climate

Climate data for Fenghuang, elevation 350 m (1,150 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1981–2010)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.1
(77.2) 		29.3
(84.7) 		34.2
(93.6) 		34.3
(93.7) 		35.5
(95.9) 		36.7
(98.1) 		38.5
(101.3) 		38.6
(101.5) 		39.0
(102.2) 		35.8
(96.4) 		31.0
(87.8) 		22.8
(73.0) 		39.0
(102.2)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 8.3
(46.9) 		11.0
(51.8) 		15.6
(60.1) 		21.7
(71.1) 		25.9
(78.6) 		28.9
(84.0) 		32.1
(89.8) 		32.2
(90.0) 		28.2
(82.8) 		22.1
(71.8) 		16.8
(62.2) 		11.0
(51.8) 		21.2
(70.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 4.8
(40.6) 		7.0
(44.6) 		11.0
(51.8) 		16.6
(61.9) 		20.8
(69.4) 		24.3
(75.7) 		27.1
(80.8) 		26.7
(80.1) 		22.8
(73.0) 		17.3
(63.1) 		12.1
(53.8) 		7.0
(44.6) 		16.5
(61.6)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 2.5
(36.5) 		4.4
(39.9) 		8.0
(46.4) 		13.1
(55.6) 		17.4
(63.3) 		21.1
(70.0) 		23.5
(74.3) 		23.1
(73.6) 		19.4
(66.9) 		14.4
(57.9) 		9.3
(48.7) 		4.4
(39.9) 		13.4
(56.1)
Record low °C (°F) −6.0
(21.2) 		−4.6
(23.7) 		−0.9
(30.4) 		3.1
(37.6) 		7.2
(45.0) 		13.0
(55.4) 		16.5
(61.7) 		15.9
(60.6) 		11.7
(53.1) 		3.5
(38.3) 		−1.9
(28.6) 		−4.5
(23.9) 		−6.0
(21.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 51.6
(2.03) 		55.9
(2.20) 		85.9
(3.38) 		126.0
(4.96) 		195.5
(7.70) 		241.1
(9.49) 		202.2
(7.96) 		123.0
(4.84) 		81.8
(3.22) 		93.8
(3.69) 		63.9
(2.52) 		37.1
(1.46) 		1,357.8
(53.45)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 13.3 13.2 16.6 17.1 16.7 16.0 12.4 10.9 9.3 12.7 10.5 10.8 159.5
Average snowy days 6.1 3.6 0.8 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.1 2.0 12.7
Average relative humidity (%) 79 79 80 81 83 85 81 79 79 81 80 76 80
Mean monthly sunshine hours 45.9 50.0 66.8 93.7 111.5 108.3 186.5 189.6 134.8 101.0 87.8 70.7 1,246.6
Percent possible sunshine 14 16 18 24 27 26 44 47 37 29 27 22 28
Source: China Meteorological Administration[14][15]

Notes

  1. ^ "Fenghuang" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2014-07-02.
  2. ^ Xiangxi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture Land Use Plan (2006–20)/《湘西土家族苗族自治州土地利用总体规划（2006-2020年）》.(in Chinese) Accessed 8 July 2014.
  3. ^ 湘西自治州2010年第六次全国人口普查主要数据公报 (in Chinese). Xiangxi Prefecture People's Government. Archived from the original on 27 November 2012. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
  4. ^ about the population of Baojing County in 2015, according to the 2015年凤凰县国民经济和社会发展统计公报 [Statistical Communiqué of Baojing County on the 2015 National Economic and Social Development]. fhzf.gov.cn. Archived from the original on 2017-02-02. Retrieved 2017-01-25. or ahmhxc.com
  5. ^ the divisions of Baojing County in 2015, according to the 《湖南省民政厅关于同意凤凰县乡镇区划调整方案的批复》(湘民行发〔2015〕112号) [result on adjustment of township-level administrative divisions of Baojing County on 30 November 2015]. rednet.cn. 2015-12-04., also see 《湖南省乡镇区划调整改革109个县市区批复方案》. people.com. 2015-12-08. Archived from the original on 2017-04-07. Retrieved 2017-01-25. or xinhuanet.com
  6. ^ Fenghuang Ancient City - UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  7. ^ Wang (2007) p 135
  8. ^ 南方长城景点介绍 Archived 2020-06-08 at the Wayback Machine, zjjto.com
  9. ^ Kinkley, Jeffrey C. (1987). The Odyssey of Shen Congwen. Stanford University Press. p. 19. ISBN 9780804713726.
  10. ^ Ancient town under water as downpour hit central China
  11. ^ "Fenghuang County" ChinaTour.Net Accessed 2014-9-25
  12. ^ "Фэнхуан | Fenghuang". zhangjiajie-wulingyuan.ru. Retrieved 2016-04-21.
  13. ^ "凤凰磁浮线开工建设". 2019-08-07.
  14. ^ 中国气象数据网 – WeatherBk Data (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
  15. ^ 中国气象数据网 (in Simplified Chinese). China Meteorological Administration. Retrieved 28 May 2023.

References

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Fenghuang.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fenghuang County.